Sonia Sodha on Sturgeon’s GRC reform

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www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/27/nicola-sturgeon-will-endanger-women-if-she-opens-single-sex-spaces-almost-everone

She nails it again, very firmly for Observer/Guardian readers

Thank you for link.

Yes, I was just reading this. Very good.

Very good, if late in the day. A year ago that could have made a real difference but I doubt the GRA bill can be amended or stopped at this stage.

But better late than never.

I'm particularly glad to see the reference to the WiSpa incident in California, which the Guardian had previously falsely reported on and, to my knowledge, had never issued a public correction for. A good article on the stupidity of Sturgeon.

Thank you for the link. Excellent article.

‘At the heart of the Scottish reforms is the question of whether the rights of a GRC should be extended from those with gender dysphoria – who experience genuine distress about their biological sex – to any man who says they identify as female, including men who derive sexual gratification from cross dressing, and male sex offenders looking for access to spaces where women are vulnerable, or who would prefer to be jailed with vulnerable women.’

It was good until the last para, which suggests the tories are in the process of tidying this mess up by clarifying the Equality Act. This would lead most readers to think the issue/danger is being addressed so no need for concern. Have I missed something on this..?

Sunak has said he will reform the Equality Act. The Telegraph article that reported it is behind a paywall so here's a summary of the story:

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/rishi-sunak-reportedly-planning-review-25403893

Good article. We are fighting for our very existence in Scotland.

Thank you Royal Corgi, that is good news (at least it is he does it before the GE, which he’ll probably lose).

Is Scotland the first country to do this? Are there any other examples? Just wondering if Scotland is in effect a giant experiment.

Ireland and Malta both have self ID. Hence cases such as Barbie Kardashian in Ireland. Two countries known for their respect of women...

Self ID was sneaked across the Irish electorate in the wake of the hugely successful Equal Marriage Referendum - a great win for Gay rights. Eliding the 2 issues so most ppl thought one was merely an extension of the other.

Then along came Barbie and Co. And Amnesty Ireland trying to shut women up. So planks like Sturgeon can say ' But the Irish have Self ID and there's no problem!' Jfc

Great article thanks for highlighting it.

"Sturgeon’s plans to reform gender law could leave Tories as the champions of women’s rights"

The Observer headline makes a political point but the fact is that the Conservatives already are the Champions on this issue as it was Liz Truss who held the line against the push for substantial change and withstood the pressure to introduce self identification.

But the general message to the Scottish government is clear

"The Scottish leader must take heed of changing views on the treatment of gender dysphoria"

and the article spells out in detail the implications of this Bill and why single-sex provision matters for women and girls:

• does away with medical diagnosis requirement
• the expected large increase in number of GRCs will tip the legal balance away from women
• would make it materially harder for women to access single-sex services in line with their rights
• GRC privacy arrangements contribute to this
• single-sex spaces also important for women's safety
• serious concern that it would enable children aged 16 and 17 to change their legal sex - ignoring Cass warning of effects

No it’s not only Scotland. Other countries have introduced self-id and also have examples of women being harmed and authorities not caring.

Some examples from Canada - Christopher/Jessica Hambrook, who attacked women in homeless shelters, the repeated attacks on Vancouver Rape Relief, violent male sex offenders such as Madilyn Harks in prisons alongside females.

Heather Mason has done a lot of work highlighting the issue in Canadian prisons e.g.
https://www.womenarehuman.com/the-alarm-has-been-sounded-whos-going-to-respond/

See also
https://www.cawsbar.ca (Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights

Really well-written by Sonia (with one exception that is not her fault).

The word "gender" occurs six times in the article text. Once in "gender recognition certificate" and five times as "gender dysphoria".

The word "sex" occurs 32 times. Examples include "“self-ID” – any male who has lived as if they were of the opposite sex for three months" or "No Scottish minister has been able to say what living as the opposite sex actually means" or "someone who identifies as the opposite sex" or "women have the right, as a matter of privacy and dignity, not to be around people of the opposite sex when they are in vulnerable situations".

This is so much clearer than the usual, deliberately obfuscatory, use of gender in sentences such as those.

The only sour note is that when discussing the case of Dolatowski, we read: "a Scottish male sex offender who assaulted two pre-teen girls assumed another identity that allowed them to live in a women’s refuge". This shows up the nonsense of IPSO not allowing correct pronoun use. (Who went to the women's refuge? It wasn't the pre-teen victims). The next sentence is "She has now been moved to a woman’s prison after violently assaulting a fellow male prisoner" which again highlights how offensive it is to use the wrong pronoun for a violent male sex-offender.

Those were likely subeditors' changes though, given IPSO. Apart from that, an excellent article.